BJP's Kirit Somaiya seeks probe against Sena leader Anil Parab in land conversion case

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has sought a court-monitored SIT probe against Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab in an alleged land conversion case. Kirit Somaiya in his plea said that Anil Parab and his aide got agricultural land and converted into non-agricultural land to build a resort on it.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Friday moved the Bombay High Court seeking a investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) or directions to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register an FIR against Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab for alleged illegal conversion of land. Kirit Somaiya has sought a probe against Anil Parab over the illegal conversion of agricultural land to build a resort in Dapoli.

The petition by Somaiya alleged that Parab, along with his accomplice Vibhas Ranjan Sathe conspired with the sub-divisional officer, Dapoli, and violated the norms of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification of 2011 which forbids any new construction in No-Development Zones (NDZ).

According to the petition, Parab and Sathe got agricultural land in the NDZ converted into non-agricultural land to build a resort on it.

However, when the petition came up for hearing, the newly appointed Bombay high court judge Sharmila Deshmukh recused from hearing it. The plea is likely to be heard by another bench in the coming week.

Somaiya prayed for the constitution of a SIT under the supervision of a retired High Court judge for an investigation into the alleged forgery, cheating and dishonest inducement for illegal conversion of land use, criminal misconduct by public servants and the construction of a commercial resort in an NDZ.

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The petition alleged Sathe bought agricultural land situated in a CRZ notified No-Development Zone in 2011 and, thereafter, in 2015, sought the gram panchayat's permission to build a non-permanent structure on it.